Continuing Education

Educational Resources from the National Restaurant
Association Educational Foundation

By: Mary M. Adolf, president and chief operating officer,
National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation

As a hard-working student, it’s easy to get bogged down with the day-to-day activities of school, but it’s essential to keep in mind the additional educational experiences that are available to enhance your future career. The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) can be of assistance. We are here to support you through industry expertise and also educational tools and programs.

Our mission is to deliver effective resources, materials and programs that educate and build a qualified workforce that adds value to the foodservice industry. In an industry where labor is the most critical issue facing employers and it is estimated that 200,000 additional managers will be needed by 2014, nothing has proven to be more critical than recruiting and retaining qualified and educated employees.

Here is a brief outline of several NRAEF programs designed to continue the learning process both inside and outside the classroom and help you realize your career goals. More details are available at www.nraef.org.

• ServSafe® Food Safety Training Program  www.nraef.org/servsafe/

The industry’s most trusted and valued food safety training and certification program – the ServSafe program – offers training for every level in a variety of training delivery methods, from textbooks and videos to CD-ROM and online training. Food safety training is essential for all restaurant and foodservice professionals.

• NRAEF Leadership and Management Program featuring Harvard
   ManageMentor®PLUS  www.nraef.org/resources/harvard.asp

The NRAEF partnered with Harvard Business School Publishing eLearning to develop the NRAEF Leadership and Management Program featuring Harvard ManageMentor®Plus – a leadership and management course that includes an implementation guide developed by the NRAEF and Harvard Business School Publishing’s online product. The program is an affordable, flexible way to build soft skills to complement operations expertise.

• Daily Dose English Program  www.nraef.org/resources/dailydose.asp

The NRAEF partnered with Daily Dose Language Systems, Inc. to launch this new language program the helps employees develop both English and job skills in only 10 minutes a day. This flexible and affordable program is taught on-site by a manager or supervisor acting as a facilitator and utilizes “language huddles” – interactive group sessions where employees gather to practice job-specific phrases and review important job standards.

• Resource Center for Workforce SolutionsSM  www.nraef.org/solutions

Students, educators and operators looking for information or tools related to recruitment, retention, training or general human resources questions can find restaurant and foodservice industry-focused answers at the Resource Center for Workforce Solutions. From scholarship opportunities, to continuing education and professional development programs, the Resource Center for Workforce Solutions’ Web site is the industry’s most comprehensive resource of actionable workforce solutions.

• Foodservice Management Professional® (FMP®) credential
   www.nraef.org/fmp/fmp_about.asp

Once a professional is more established in the industry and gains a more refined level of experience, they are eligible to earn the Foodservice Management Professional (FMP) credential. This designation distinguishes restaurant and foodservice managers who achieve the high level of knowledge, experience, leadership and professionalism the industry most desires.

• ProStart® Program  www.nraef.org/prostart

The ProStart program, administered by the NRAEF in conjunction with state restaurant associations, is a nationwide system of high school restaurant and foodservice courses linked with mentored worksite experiences. Currently, nearly 44,000 high school students at more than 1,000 schools in 43 states and territories are enrolled in the programThe NRAEF and its state partners work to facilitate these relationships between the classroom and the industry.

• ProMgmt.® Program  www.nraef.org/e_learning/el_promgt.asp

The ProMgmt.® Program trains future managers to master the basics in five key management competencies: risk management, cost control and revenue, human resources and diversity, marketing, and operations. ProMgmt. courses are available through proprietary schools, universities, as well as two-year and four-year colleges. ProMgmt. Partner schools offer ProMgmt. certificates in seven courses of the five key management competencies listed above.

For more information on these or any of the other programs and services offered by the NRAEF, call (312) 715-1010 or visit www.nraef.org.

Bio:

Mary M. Adolf, M.S., R.D.  
President and Chief Operating Officer
National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation

Mary M. Adolf is the President and Chief Operating Officer of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to fulfilling the educational mission of the National Restaurant Association, and located in Chicago, Ill. As the nation’s largest private-sector employer, the restaurant and foodservice industry is the cornerstone of the American economy, of career-and-employment opportunities, and of local communities, generating more than $426 billion in revenue annually. Focusing on three key strategies of risk management, recruitment, and retention, the NRAEF is the premier provider of educational resources, materials, and programs, which address attracting, developing and retaining the industry’s workforce.

Prior to joining the NRAEF, Adolf served as senior vice president/associate director of Ketchum's Global Food and Nutrition Practice. Ketchum is the world's leading food public relations agency.

From 1981 to 2000 Adolf held four senior positions with the National Livestock and Meat Board/National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Her responsibilities included consumer advertising, market research, category management and foodservice and retail marketing. She led the team that developed, managed and launched the annual $22 million award-winning "Beef, It's What's for Dinner" consumer advertising campaign.

Adolf is a recognized expert on food safety issues. She holds a Master of Science degree in Food Science/Meat Science and a Bachelor of Science degree in Food and Nutrition from the University of Nebraska. She completed a Dietetic Internship at Oklahoma State University, and is a Registered Dietitian.